CLARKSBURG, W.Va. – A study has ranked West Virginia the 45th worst state to raise a family based on several categories.

Wallethub ranked the 50 states in order of family-friendliness using 51 indicators including poverty level, education, COVID-19 vaccinations and even road safety. According to the ranking, West Virginia is the 5th worst place in the county to raise a family.

West Virginia was ranked last place for family fun opportunities and 43rd in education and child care. Because of West Virginia’s high poverty level, it received 49th place for average family income and 46th for percentage of families in poverty. According to the study, West Virginia also has the fewest number of families with young children.

While West Virginia was among the worst, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Louisianna, New Mexico and Mississippi were all determined to be worse places to raise families.

If a family wanted to move to the best place based on the ranking, Massachusetts, New York and Vermont were named the top three.

In the study, access to the outdoors, which was one of the top reasons people moved to West Virginia in 2021, was not a factor. For the full list of factors and methodology, click here.